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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29724222">Annie Through the Veil</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somecallmemichelle/pseuds/Somecallmemichelle'>Somecallmemichelle</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Diamond &amp; Pearl &amp; Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Trans Character, Trans Female Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:21:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,006</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29724222</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somecallmemichelle/pseuds/Somecallmemichelle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A young trans girl gets the opportunity of a lifetime when two gym leaders intervene to make sure she gets a happy ending. Journey fic.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Annie Through the Veil</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This fic contains mentions of emotional abuse and violence.<br/>Please keep yourself safe if that is something that might be triggering for you.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The thing about cities is that there were a lot of alley ways that led nowhere. Annie knew it well, she had found many of them and been kicked to the curb in most. Beaten and bruised she had become very good at hiding, at hiding and at running away but sometimes there were some back ends that resulted in her getting trapped. Somehow she had managed to avoid running into any up until that point but she was panting, her legs were about to give out and she didn’t think that she could run much farther.</p><p>Living out in the streets, taking shelter in alcoves and wherever she could find it she thought that she should have had a better knowledge of the city’s layout. The fact was that she didn’t. Maps and architecture didn’t much matter to her, not really what mattered was being safe. Finding shelter, and not finding herself stuck as she was pushed and teased by the boys who had, for months now been calling her a freak.</p><p>If it were only the teasing she could probably deal with it. It had been nothing that she hadn’t heard before, sometimes even from her own parents but the truth is that they had a tendency to get physical. Maybe it was her smart mouth, she was unable to keep herself from answering back but she had the aches to prove that they hurt her with more than words. Her legs felt like jelly because she hadn’t been eating well and her left side ached. She had been kicked there particularly hard a while back and it had never healed properly. Sleeping on the streets was not good for recovery, she could say.</p><p>She had stopped, hidden behind a square looking building and pushed herself behind a thrash can when someone called for her. Annie nearly jumped ten feet, scared like hell by the shout that sounded oh so near and her first instinct was to run. She would have done so too if not for the fact that legs couldn’t hold her weight. She closed her eyes waiting for the hurt to start.<br/>
<br/>
“Are you alright?” The woman, really girl no older than herself asked and Annie had to gasp. Of course with her look she would run into a freaking Gym leader! She tried opening her mouth and yet no sounds came.<br/>
<br/>
“You don’t look okay” Much like as if she were approaching a wounded animal Maylene was slow to approach and before Annie noticed she was close enough to touch her. “What’s with your eye? Who hit you?”</p><p>Annie said nothing, though she realised she was shaking. Squealers got hit even harder and she was not looking forward to being hit at all. “No one”, she said, trying to hide even more behind the thrashcan.</p><p>Maylene rolled her eyes. “Look, kid don’t give me that crap” She said and Annie felt herself grimace, the desire to curl up so as to avoid the chance any vital spots she could be kicked or punched would be. “You show up near my Gym, crying, a black eye and bruises all around your legs and arms…I’m a martial artist, yes I noticed. “ Annie looked guilty as she made to push her sleeves farther down her arm so as to cover them. “Someone, or several someone are clearly picking up on you, why lie to me?”</p><p>Annie said something that sounded remarkably like that she didn’t want to be a bother causing Maylene to scoff. Her movements were sure, precise and yet somehow explosive and full. Annie couldn’t herself, every time Maylene spoke she felt herself recoiling.<br/>
<br/>
“Bother me? What bothers me is that some punks are kicking you around! Look at you…” Annie really didn’t want to, not when doing so brought her such terrible feelings. Surely Maylene thought her disgusting as well, after all why would she point out just how out of sorts she looked? How she totally didn’t look any good?</p><p>Maylene’s face softened seeing the scared teen in front of her. “I don’t mean to say that you look bad, honestly. I love the hair” She said complimenting Annie’s hair despite the fact she had always thought it looked like a mop, which was the reason she had done a poor job painting it green to at least help disguise how bad it looked to her. “Kid…I know my reputation, I know I’m seen as brash, hot headed, scary even! I can see you flinch…” Maylene looked almost sad at the fact, she looked thoughtful. “And what I’m about to tell you may surprise you, because it’s something you wouldn’t expect me to say it…but not everything is worth fighting over.”<br/>
<br/>
Annie’s mouth opened, that was indeed something she would never have expected from Maylene. She had heard the rumors, of course she had, it was Veilstone and she was their gym leader, she was pretty much the biggest celebrity she could think of in the city.<br/>
<br/>
“If I punched every creep or idiot that crossed paths with me I’d have some very sore fists. Honestly there are some really bad people in the world” Though they were outside, at the back of the gym near the thrash and the back door that let through the smell of sweat Annie was almost certain Maylene pointed her cheek at that shiny new building that was just being constructed in the edges of town. What was that all about? “But who you are, that’s worth fighting over. By the state of you It seems you’ve had it rough, why not start anew? What’s keeping you.<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t have anywhere to go” Annie admitted, which was as sad as it was true. Really leaving home without any plan or desire besides escaping the harsh words of her mother might have been dumb, but she knew she couldn’t go back. Her mother had made it very clear that if she walked out of the door she couldn’t return.<br/>
<br/>
Maylene’s face softened even more.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh. Ok, look, why don’t you come inside? Take a hot shower, I’ll get you some fresh clothes, and we can patch you up?” Maylene pointed at her nose. “Sometimes even I need to get a bandage.”<br/>
<br/>
But Annie had other concerns.<br/>
<br/>
“N….no seeing my body” It was just what she needed, for Maylene to realise she was a freak and push her out. “I’m not…it’s not a good idea”.<br/>
<br/>
Maylene was quick to reassure her.<br/>
<br/>
“Hey it’s ok…you don’t have to show me anything you don’t want. I promise, I’ll just let you do it yourself. But I’m worried about you, you know? I want to help”</p><p>Annie bit her lip. Her natural indication was to call that a lie. To say that no one had ever wanted to help her and yet what did she have to lose? At least she’d get a shower out of it!</p><p> </p><p>“Okay” She said and Maylene walked her inside.</p><p> </p><p>[…]</p><p> </p><p>Clad in new clothes and feeling clean for the first time in months Annie felt like an entirely new person. She had walked outside the locker room, new clothes already put on only to find that Maylene was there, a plate of cookies in front of her. She had nearly cried at how kind she was being, something that Maylene pretended not to notice. She had told her that those were her “cheat day” snacks but that she needed them more than Maylene did. The Gym leader sat in front of her as she slowly tried to worm her history out of her.</p><p>Annie didn’t talk much, not when she was pushing cookies into her mouth but the display of care that Maylene was showing her made her feel appreciated for the first time ever. It was a great feeling one that made her chest swell.<br/>
<br/>
“Now I’ve been thinking about what you said, about not having anywhere to go” Maylene started looking uncharacteristically serious. This was not the Maylene that Annie had imagined, pummelling rocks with her fist. “And I think I may have a solution”</p><p><br/>
Annie tried to tell her that it was no big deal, that she could fend for herself but Maylene brushed her off not giving her a chance to continue her attempts at reassurance. She could imagine that she didn’t look properly taken care of, after all.</p><p>“I can’t keep you at the Gym, unfortunately, there’s some very strict rules on what a Gym leader can and can’t do” She said and Annie had to admit that that made sense. They represented the league after all.</p><p>“But I know of someone who might just being able to house you. As it stands I am friends with the Snowpoint Gym leader, Candice and I think that if I asked her she would be willing to find you a place to stay.” Annie’s stomach danced around, could she really be being offered a home? “In fact she was looking for a trainer to sponsor, get them to be a trainer at her Gym…”</p><p><br/>
Annie’s stomach sunk.<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t have a Pokemon” She admitted,  a sigh leaving her lips. “I wouldn’t be able to…”<br/>
<br/>
“Let me finish! I’m sure she can get you a Pokemon. Now I don’t know if you know where Snowpoint is but it’s not an easy journey…” Maylene admitted. “You’d have to cross Mount Coronet, and that is never simple to do but if you can make it to Snowpoint…”</p><p>Maylene smiled, her hand retreating something from her back pocket. “I’ll call and make sure she’s waiting for you. Take this letter, and give it to her, it confirms who you are.” Maylene pointed at a beat up old backpack that was on the floor, fallen against a wall. “And take that as well, honestly it’s not like I’ll ever use that backpack myself. I’ve filled it with warm clothes, because you’re going to need it and some food.”</p><p> </p><p>Annie could hardly believe what was happening. “Why are you being so nice? Why me?”</p><p>Maylene shrugged. “Common decency? A desire to help? Honestly kid...you’re a mess. You need help and I think I can provide it.”<br/>
<br/>
A tear crept up to Annie’s face and she rushed to clear it. “Thank you” she said, because there wasn’t anything else she could say or any way she could possibly express how grateful she was feeling.  <br/>
<br/>
Maylene brushed it off. “No problem” She paused for a second. “And oh, by the way, you’re going to need this. Catch!” Maylene tossed a spherical object her way and she managed to avoid the urge to cover her head and shy away and instead grabbed it. “A pokeball?”</p><p>Maylene smiled.<br/>
<br/>
“You can’t just make your way through Mount Coronet without a Pokemon. It’d be suicide.” She said, but Annie was only half paying attention.<br/>
<br/>
She looked at the object on her hands, a smile forming on her lips. She had always wanted a Pokemon, what kid didn’t? But she had never had the opportunity to get one. The day just kept getting better and better!</p><p>“I’m going to lock down the Gym”, Maylene said, before winking at her. “I may not be allowed to have strangers sleeping in here but I’ll make sure not to check too hard to see if anyone’s inside. Please rest, you have a long journey ahead of you…and who knows, maybe figure what Pokemon is in that ball I gave you.”<br/>
<br/>
Maylene got up and started moving away, before stopping as if a thought had just passed through her mind.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, and just between us? You’re a survivor, strong as they come. Sure I may be thought of as strong but you…I think you might be stronger than me. Make me proud. And good night.”</p><p> </p><p>Annie stood there, too stunned to move until the lights on the ceiling were turned off and she was cloaked in darkness. She looked at the pokeball, her pokeball and pressed the button.</p>
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